Primary school parents’ despair over proposed giant class size of 37

Concerned parents fear there will be a “massive detrimental impact” on their children after learning the youngsters will join a super-sized class of 37 pupils next year.

Rosh Pinah Primary School in Edgware has proposed that two smaller classes for the current Year 2 are merged into one larger class for the 2022/2023 academic year.

Headteacher Jill Howson outlined the plans for the new class, which will be lead by one teacher and two teaching assistants, in a letter sent to parents last week.

It stated: “As you are aware, Year 2 is an extremely small cohort with just 37 children in the whole year group.

“A consequence of this is that the children have had very small classes sizes which would normally be found in private education, but not in a state school.”

Ms Howson acknowledged that smaller class sizes had “been of enormous benefit to the children in closing any gaps in attainment and progress brought about by this disruption to schooling that the pandemic has caused.”

However, in a subsequent letter sent to parents explaining the decision in further detail, Ms Howson alluded to financial strains placed on the school in maintaining two undersubscribed classes.

Government rules maintain that Key Stage 1 – children aged five to seven – should be taught in a class size no greater than 30, but there is no maximum limit on class sizes for children in Key Stage 2, which covers ages seven to 11.

In Ms Howson’s second letter, she explained: “I think it is also only fair to highlight that I have to manage the financial decisions relating to the school, which is always a concern when you have to factor in the loss of revenue from the government when the year group is not full.

“Those unaware of how this is formulated may be surprised to learn that it is based on pupil numbers. Each child admitted to the school brings with it individual funding.

“The loss of funding for only having 37 children equates to around £140,000 per year.”

The letter went on to state that the school “would not do anything to jeopardise the progress of our children” and said there would be “no difference in how a class of 37 is taught to how a class of 20 or 30 is taught.”

But some parents have expressed alarm over the proposals and say their children “shouldn’t have to pay the price” for an undersubscribed year group.

One said: “Clearly the smaller class sizes have had a positive impact on the children’s education, as commented on by the headmistress.

“But the class sizes being undersubscribed are not the fault of the children and they shouldn’t have to pay for it by having a single exceptionally large class size that could have a massive detrimental impact on their educational progress.

“I would have deeper concerns for children who have additional needs and we should also think about the huge pressure this will place on their teacher.”

Larger class sizes are a current topic of national debate. In April, a poll of 3,000 teachers by the NASUWT teachers’ union found that 91% were of the view that class sizes were adversely affecting their pupils’ progress and attainment, while 90% felt they were having a detrimental effect on pupil behaviour.